Are women well-represented in politics in your state?

[geniph]

I ask that as a lifelong resident of the state of Washington, who have made history by electing two female Senators and a female Governor. Our top three political offices are held by women! In fact, it goes even further than that; the Majority Leader of the state Senate is a woman. The Majority Leader of the Democratic Caucus of the state House is a woman, as is the Majority Whip. We're almost equally split in the state Senate between men and women. I can't speak for the Republicans, I don't pay much attention to their gender diversity. ;-)

How's your state doing?

[Senior citizen]

1. California--two female Senators here also.

One of them, Barbara Boxer, is a leading liberal.

The other, Diane Feinstein, is a DINO (Democrat in Name Only) who is married to someone in the defense industry and often votes that way.

The State Senator for my San Diego district is a lesbian, Christine Kehoe, who has often visited our senior center and can be counted on to vote as a progressive.

And we elected a female mayor, but Donna Frye wasn't permitted to take office on a technicality. In the next election we'll probably elect Donna again, but who knows what the rigged Diebold optical scanners will say.

Usually the people I vote for don't get elected. But when Boxer and Feinstein were elected, I'd voted for all the Democratic females on the ballot that year, and was amazed to see that they'd won!

[tishaLA]

2. And here in Los Angeles, we have a (male) feminist mayor, too

His last name, Villaraigosa, is apparently a combination of his and his wife's last names. They both changed their names when they married.

[pmbryant]

3. In Texas, women seem moderately well-represented

Albeit GOP women, like Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Senator, and possibly future governor, and prominent statewide officeholders such as Carole Keeton-Strayhorn (spelling?) and Susan Combs.

I believe Dallas has a female mayor and female sheriff. I think they are Dems. Unfortunately, Dems of all genders are seriously underrepresented here.

There does seem to be a shortage of prominent female politicans in my area (San Antonio), though.

Peter

[BlueIris]

4. Before the last election, I believe--but don't hold me to this--Oregon

had a state government that was 27.5% female. I believe that the election returns changed the map around here, a little, though. My favorite site for checking on the stats, gendergap.com, is updating its content, so it's taking me a little longer than usual to find a credible source for information about Oregon specifically (with documentation for all of its facts). I'd have to get back to you.

[MuseRider]

5. Pretty well actually

considering this is a very red state (Kansas). Our Governor is female, she is the second female Governor and both were/are Democrats. We have had one female Mayor in Topeka. I do not know the actual make up of our state legislature but two women I know personally were both elected this last year. Unfortunately the woman Mayor did not leave with people feeling good about her and our first Governor I did not care for and many others did not as well. I do not know how she is remembered by most others though.